- Meghan visits the Southern California Welcome Project for “cooking and storytelling”
A video has emerged of Meghan Markle cooking traditional Afghan food with a group of 15 women who relocated to the US from Afghanistan.
The Duchess of Sussex founded The Welcome Project in 2023 as part of her work with the Archewell Foundation, which she co-founded with Prince Harry.
Archewell previously revealed that Meghan attended the Southern California Welcome Project on February 10 for an “evening of cooking and storytelling.”
Now a clip of the visit has been published on the Archewell Foundation website, showing the Duchess wearing an apron bearing the name of her organization.
Meghan, 42, was filmed joining a group of women preparing traditional Afghan dishes, including ashak and mantuu, both types of dumplings.
The Duchess of Sussex appears in a video about the Southern California Welcome Project
The video shows Meghan Markle visiting the Welcome Project in California on February 10th
In the new video, Meghan is seen cooking traditional Afghan food with a group of 15 women
An Archewell press release said the women then discussed “their personal stories and the support they have received from this intergenerational group of women.”
The visit was in collaboration with Mina's List, a New York-based organization that has been working with activists and political leaders in Afghanistan since 2014.
Archewell said that in 2021, “through independent and coalition efforts,” Mina's List helped evacuate and relocate over 2,000 Afghan women and families – many of whom were resettled in Southern California.
Mina's List and Archewell “then joined forces to provide community and support to these remarkable women as they begin to rebuild their lives in the United States.”
Meghan is said to have been inspired to create the project by her work with the Hubb Community Kitchen in west London in 2017, which was organized by a group of survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire.
A photo Archewell previously posted on The Welcome Project of Meghan on February 10
Meghan helped prepare food at the Welcome Project in California on February 10
Meghan is seen at The Welcome Project on February 10th in a photo released by Archewell
Archewell states that the project was created to “create a safe haven and inclusive environment for women recently resettled in the United States from Afghanistan.”
It adds that the project “believes in the power of connection and aims to strengthen communities” and “supports the creation of programs for women recently resettled from Afghanistan.”
There are reportedly 11 active welcoming projects across the U.S. designed to “encourage a sense of belonging through activities such as sewing, art, hiking, swimming, photography, storytelling, and cooking.”
Archewell also says, “By facilitating women-based programs, the Welcome Project also provides access to important resources and opportunities that not only support the women participating in the Welcome Project, but also improve the lives of those around them – their families and their communities.” '
The video is located in the Programs section of the Archewell Foundation's website – unlike the new website Sussex.com, which launched earlier this month.